China sees fastest emissions drop since Covid due to Middle East war

China's CO2 emissions experienced their fastest quarterly decline since the COVID-19 pandemic in the third quarter of the year, according to a recent analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). The drop, a 3.1% decrease between July and September, was attributed to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The conflict severely impacted oil shipments to China, which is the world's second-largest economy and the top importer of crude. Oil consumption fell by 4% year-on-year, with transport oil use decreasing by 9%, according to the CREA report. Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder and lead analyst at CREA, noted that while a rebound in oil consumption may occur once prices drop, the impact has accelerated China's shift away from oil.

Coal use also declined by 3% year-on-year, despite China's rapid construction of new coal plants. Gao Yuhe, Beijing-based project lead at Greenpeace East Asia, emphasized that coal power is following a downward trend, which is crucial for the further development of renewable energy. Greenpeace East Asia project lead Gao Yuhe added that expanding the uptake of renewable energy, marketization of renewable energy and energy storage systems are also vital.

China, the world's largest emitter responsible for over 30% of global greenhouse gases, has pledged to step up efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and boost the green transition, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2060.